Hand unit for spraying aerosols and similar spray agents



May 24, 1966 E. BELKA 3,252,626

HAND UNIT FOR SPRAYING AEROSOLS AND SIMILAR SPRAY AGENTS Filed Oct. 2, 1963 INVENTOR. 55276.6 552, K?

United States Patent 3,252,626 HAND UNIT FOR SPRAYING AEROSOLS AND SIMILAR SPRAY AGENTS Erich Belka, Philadelphiastrasse 57, Krefeld, Germany Filed Oct. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 313,236 2 Claims. (Cl. 222-182) This invention relates to a hand unit for spraying aerosols and similar spray agents, in particular tear gas, by a person carrying said unit when he is attacked. Among the hand units intended for such purposes, one design has proven particularly good, and the invention relates specially to this design. The hand units in question exhibit a cartridge internally pressurized and filled with the spray agent, said cartridge being equipped with an internal valve and a spray head, displaceably mounted, -for spraying the agent and serving simultaneously as a valve tappet, and a hand lever intended to act upon said spray head. Suitable actuation of said hand lever causes the spray head to be displaced approximately in the direction of the valve, thus opening said valve against the internal pressure of the contents of the cartridge. Said hand lever extends through a holder which may be removably attached to said cartridge, usually by clamping.

Known hand units of the above-mentioned design have the disadvantage that they are not made in the form of a stick like a pocket flash-light and cannot therefore be carried conveniently by the owner. Furthermore, in the case of said known hand units, the hand lever or spray head is inadequately protected against inadvertent displacement.

The second disadvantage concerns known hand units for spraying aerosols and the like which are made in the form of a stick like a pocket flashlight. These stick-shaped hand units do not comprise a cartridge equipped with an internal valve and a displaceaible spray head to which a holder for the hand lever may be attached in an easily removable manner.

It is the aim of the invention, to improve the hand units of the type first mentioned above, to overcome their disadvantages in a simple and reliable manner. To this end, the hand unit according to the invention, which hands a cartridge equipped with an internal valve and a displaceable spray head and a hand lever for displacing the spray head removably attached, with its holder, to said cartridge, is in the form of a stick, and its hand lever or spray head is secured against any unintentional displacement. Said hand lever is located on a cap connected rigidly but removalbly with the cartridge and is arranged to pivot horizontally and vertically on a vertical pin in said cap. Said cap covers the cartridge spray head but leaves exposed the nozzle opening thereof. Furthermore, said hand lever is guided in an angular slot in said cap in such a manner that it can be moved in a horizontal plane only after being disengaged from a recess in said slot, and only thereafter can it be pivoted in the vertical portion of said slot, when it simultaneously displaces the spray head and pivots towards the cartridge valve.

For the rigid but removable attachment of the cap carrying the hand lever, the cartridge provided at its end face, where the spray head is located, with an annular bead in which said cap engages by means of a corresponding annular mating bead provided at its lower edge, said engagement being by clamping action.

The drawing shows an example of embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a hand unit for spraying aerosols in side elevation,

r ce- FIG. 2 shows a part section along the line II-II in FIG. 1, and 4 FIG. 3 shows a plan view of said hand unit.

A cartridge 21 of normal design and filled with a spray agent under pressure exhibits an internal valve (not shown) and a spray head 22 provided with a nozzle opening 23. Spray head 22 is displacea hly located on cartridge 21 and communicates via the previously mentioned internal valve with the interior of said cartridge. When spray head 22 is in the position shown in the drawing, the valve in cartridge 21, which is under the pressure of the spray agent within said cartridge, is closed. But when spray head 22, after this pressure has been overcome by an outside force acting upon its head surface, is displaced towards the internal valve, of which it constitutes the tappet, said valve is opened and said spray agent emerges from nozzle opening 23 in the form of a cone of spray.

On the end face where spray head 22 is located, cartr'idge 21 is provided with an annular bead 24. A cap, designated as a whole with reference number 25, engages in bead 24 by means of a corresponding mating head 26 with a clamping action, usually by elastic deformation. Cap 25, and a hand lever 27 mounted therein on a vertically secured pin 33, and adapted to pivot horizontally and vertically, arepreferably made of plastic which is slightly resilient. Hand lever 27 is guided in an angular slot 28 in cap 25 disposed opposite said pin and, in its position of rest, is engaged in a recess 29 in slot 28. If hand lever 27 is pressed upwardly out of said recess 29 and is then moved in horizontal portion 30 of slot 28 towards spray head 22, said hand lever 27 reaches a vertical portion 3-1 of slot 28. If hand lever 27 is now pressed in portion 3 1 of the slot towards cartridge 21, said hand lever 27 moves spray head 22 in the same direction, whereby the previously mentioned internal valve of cartridge 21 is opened and a spray is emitted from opening 23 through hole 32 in the cap.

As long as hand lever 27 is engaged in recess 29 of slot 28, it cannot move in horizontal portion 30 of the slot and cannot reach vertical portion 31 of said slot. Thus in the hand unit according to the invention there is complete assurance that hand lever 27 cannot be used uninten tionally to displace spray head 22 to open the cartridge valve, but that this can occur only if the owner of the 'hand unit first pivots said lever, with the thwmlb of the hand holding the unit, in the prescribed manner vertically outwards, then horizontally, and finally vertically inwards.

Cap 25 surrounds spray head 22 and has a cut out only at the location of nozzle opening 23, so that the cone of spray from nozzle 23 can issue freely from cap 25.

Since the cut-out in cap 25 and the 'free end of hand lever 27, which projects slightly from said cap, can be felt in the dark, the hand unit aocording to the invention may also be held in the dark with nozzle opening 23 pointed at an attacker and, by suitable actuation of hand lever 27, it may be used to produce a cone of spray directed at the attacker.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Stick-shaped hand unit for spraying tear gas, comprising a cartridge having a top wall, a spray head displacea'bly mounted on said top Wall axially of said cartridge and communicating therewith, a guide cap surrounding said spray head, means for securing said guide cap to said top wall, said cap having a side wall provided with a vertical slot and a horizontal slot extending therefrom and terminating as a recess, a pin mounted vertically adjacent the wall section opposite said slots, a lever pivotally secured to said pin for vertical and horizontal pivoting, said lever extending through one of said slots and engaging with the top portion of said spray head, said lever being adapted for locking engagement in said recess and for downward displacement in said vertical slot for depressing said spray head, said cap having an opening for the discharge Ufa spray agent, said lever being of resilient, flexible material.

2. Stick-shaped hand unit according to claim 1, wherein said means engaging [the spray head with a said top wall comprises an annular beat in said top wall and a mating beat in said spray head.

4;- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,512,052 6/1950 Brown 251--98 5 3,101,160 8/1963 Picot 2122-l83 3,138,331 6/1964 Kutik 222-509 X FOREIGN PATENTS 594,867 3/1960 Canada.

10 LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner. 

1. STICK-SHAPED HAND UNIT FOR SPRAYING TEAR GAS, COMPRISING A CARTRIDGE HAVING A TOP WALL, A SPRAY HEAD DISPLACEABLY MOUNTED ON SAID TOP WALL AXIALLY OF SAID CARTRIDGE AND COMMUNICATING THEREWITH, A GUIDE CAP SURROUNDING SAID SPRAY HEAD, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID GUIDE CAP TO SAID TOP WALL, SAID CAP HAVING A SIDE WALL PROVIDED WITH A VERTICAL SLOT AND A HORIZONTAL SLOT EXTENDING THEREFROM AND TERMINATING AS A RECESS, A PIN MOUNTED VERTICALLY ADJACENT THE WALL SECTION OPPOSITE SAID SLOTS, A LEVER PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID PIN FOR VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL PIVOTING, SAID LEVER EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID SLOTS AND ENGAGING WITH THE TOP PORTION OF SAID SPRAY HEAD, SAID LEVER BEING ADAPTED FOR LOCKING ENGAGEMENT IN SAID RECESS AND FOR DOWNWARD DISPLACEMENT IN SAID VERTICAL SLOT FOR DEPRESSING SAID SPRAY HEAD, SAID CAP HAVING AN OPENING FOR THE DISCHARGE OF A SPRAY AGENT, SAID LEVER BEING OF RESILIENT, FLEXIBLE MATERIAL. 